TORRANCE, CA - Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corp. is expanding its summer sales program, for which the interest rate has been dropped to 0%. Substantial cash rebates also are part of the promotion. The two programs run until Aug. 31, and are supported by the jukebox manufacturer's distributors and Firestone Financial.Rock-Ola also offers a new incentive for operators interested in cash instead of financing. The 0% APR and $0 down package offers a 24 month term and requires a minimum purchase of five units at the same time. Payment deferral means the first payment is due after 90 days. This program is available with "E-Rock," "E-Bubbler," "Wall-Rock" and "Wallette" models and jukebox systems. Tax, filing fee and freight are paid upfront by the operator. A separate program offers $2,500 cashback rebates to operators who purchase at least five units. Operators are eligible after the fifth unit is purchased during promo, and every unit after number five will generate additional $500 cash back rebates. This program is available with "E-Rock," "E-Bubbler," "Wall-Rock" and "Wallette" models and jukebox systems. Offers cannot be combined. For details, operators may contact Rock-Ola distributors or Rock-Ola's sales team directly at (513) 678-3490 for Tim Lacey or (623) 764-2530 for Lennie Olofson. Firestone Financial can be reached by calling (800) 851-1001.

TOUCHTUNES OFFERS SUBSTANTIAL REBATE PROGRAM FOR NEW JUKEBOXES

BUFFALO GROVE, IL , TouchTunes Music Corp. is running a special promotion through Sept. 30 designed to sell 1,500 new digital downloading jukeboxes. The promotion, called "TouchTunes' Amazing Race to 1500," offers substantial rebates. Officials said the promotion aims to duplicate the company's record-setting performance of selling 1,500 digital downloading jukeboxes in the first quarter this year. TouchTunes president John Perrachon said: "By lowering our prices even further, we will keep passing on internally generated savings" and impressive return on investment.

Per-unit rebates apply to orders of four or more jukeboxes and increase with order size, said Dan McAllister, TouchTunes' vice-president of sales and marketing. Committing to four to six jukeboxes, with a minimum initial shipment of three units, earns a rebate of $700 per unit off the regular $6,295 price of either a TouchTunes floor-model unit or wall-model unit. Committing to seven to 12 units, with an initial shipment of five, earns the operator $1,000 per unit rebates. A commitment for higher volume orders earns higher rebates and the opportunity to buy a new TouchTunes jukebox for $4995 or less, allowing operators to pay for a machine in "well under one year," said McAllister. To qualify for the largest applicable rebate, operators must take delivery of all units no later than September 30.

TOUCHTUNES OFFERS FIRST-EVER SERVICE SCHOOLS AT DISTRIBUTORS

BUFFALO GROVE, IL , TouchTunes field service manager Rick Hirschman and his staff is staging a free series of half-day technical service schools at distributors around the country. Upcoming service schools are scheduled for June 22 in Fargo, ND, hosted by Moss Distributing; June 29 in Chicago, hosted by Atlas Distributing; July 1 in Orlando, FL, hosted by Green Coin Machine; July 6 in Des Moines and July 7 in Kansas City, both hosted by Moss; July 13 in Indianapolis, hosted by Shaffer Distributing; and Aug. 9 in New York, hosted by CNY Distributing. For more information on TouchTunes' regional service schools and an updated schedule, contact Cheri Selimos at tel. (888) 338-5853 or (847) 419-3300.

NSM ENTERS PRODUCTION WITH 'EVOLUTION' KIT AND 'NOSTALGIA' DIGITAL JUKEBOX

CHICAGO , NSM Music Group Ltd. has entered full production with its Ecast-powered products including the "Evolution" CD-to-broadband conversion kit and the retro-styled "Nostalgia" following successful field tests. NSM operations vice-president Tony Lantz reported receiving a high level of orders from distribution. For more information, visit the new website at http://www.nsmmusicinc.com.

MERIT UPGRADES WEBSITE; 'TEXAS HOLD'EM' BOOSTS CASHBOX 4%

BENSALEM, PA , Merit Industries launched a new operator website, http://www.accessmerit.com/meganet/index.aspx, that employs the latest in web technology to make it even simpler for operators to maintain and update their routes, officials said. Also, Merit reports that operators are seeing a 4% earnings increase since adding "Texas Hold'Em" to Megatouch machines. The free upgrade shipped in late May and is now the platform's number one game.

FLA. GOV. VETOES ARCADE CURRENCY BILL, CALLS IT 'GAMBLING'

TALLAHASSEE, FL , Gov. Jeb Bush on June 3 vetoed SB 1520, a consumer protection bill which included an unrelated three-word amendment explicitly allowing use of bills "or other currency" in amusement machines. The language was supported by the amusements industry but had attracted strong opposition from Florida's legal gaming industry. Bush said the measure represented an expansion of gambling.

ATEI SHOW SOLD TO EXPOSITION CONGLOMERATE

LONDON , Majority ownership of the world's largest coin-operated amusement machine trade show has just passed from the hands of an industry trade association to those of a conglomerated expo organizer. ATEI, the Amusement Trades Exhibition International, routinely draws 30,000 visitors here each January. The show has been owned for decades by the British Amusement Catering Trades Association. On June 23, BACTA confirmed that Clarion Events, a UK-based organizer of trade and consumer exhibitions, has acquired a controlling investment in Amusement Trades Exhibitions, BACTA's commercial exhibition, conference, publishing and services subsidiary.

BACTA announced the transaction would enable the association to focus on the future security and success of its members and the amusement industry at a time of great uncertainty as the UK nears a new era under the forthcoming Gambling Act. BACTA president Colin Daniels said the sale will be good for BACTA and ATE, calling Clarion "a young and dynamic company which shares ATE's values and will continue the strong working partnership that BACTA and ATE have always shared."

Clarion, a 25-year-old company, runs 39 shows in the UK and calls itself "the largest independent consumer and trade show exhibition organizer in the UK and one of the top three exhibition organizing companies in the country." Formerly the in-house organizer of Earls Court and Olympia Group, Clarion completed a management buyout last year, and is now backed by private equity group HG Capital. Clarion managing director Simon Kimble said his group would work closely with industry experts at BACTA and ATE. The company maintains a website at http://www.clarionevents.com.

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